Imperial Navy
=Escorts= =Submarines and Submersibles= Yari-class Mini-Sub Main Article: Yari Mini-Sub Model 53 Seawing Main Article: Seawing/Skywing =Cruisers= Naginata-class Cruiser Main Article: Naginata Cruiser Ryusei-class Cruiser Analysis of the Imperial Navy's performance after the war showed that far too many vessels and Imperial sailors had been lost to aircraft. In spite of the Seawing, the Imperial Navy had found itself at the mercy of Allied aircraft carriers all too often, a situation that had led to the loss of countless ships, including many of the vaunted Shogun battleships. Not willing to suffer such losses again, the Imperial Navy put out several contracts for the construction of new anti-aircraft vessels to replace the Seawing in its purpose not long after the war's end. Several new vessels have since entered the Navy's service as anti-aircraft vessels, such as the small but nimble Fukiya Hovercraft, a light air defence platform armed with multipurpose missiles. However, the largest and most impressive of these was the new Ryusei-class cruiser, designed as an utterly dedicated and exceedingly effective anti-aircraft vessel. Right from the ground up, the Ryusei was designed by Shirada engineers to be the most powerful naval air defence platform in the Pacific. The primary armament of the Ryusei is a set of three powerful missile launch tubes, each capable of launching an almost constant volley of A.I. guided, heat seeking surface to air missiles. Thanks to them, the withering firepower the Ryusei can put out is enough to bring down even a Kirov. However, this did not satisfy the engineers at Shirada or the brass at the Imperial Navy, so they went further. Point defence kinetic burst guns, controlled by A.I., were installed on the ship. Capable of putting out a rapid rate of fire, the guns are programmed to automatically target incoming projectiles, such as missiles or bombs, and shred them with kinetic burst rounds. Though the system is far from foolproof and can be overwhelmed, the ability to shoot down V4 missiles could mean the difference between life and death, or victory and defeat. The kinetic burst guns will also target aircraft that get close enough, though it will still prioritise projectiles. Finally, to supplement both the long range missiles and short range guns, a complement of interceptor drones was added, taking up a small hangar bay. Though weak compared to proper fighter planes, they can harass incoming aircraft with kinetic burst fire, and even bring planes down if time and numbers is on their side. Rounding this formidable armament off are powerful noise detectors that can detect incoming aircraft from kilometres away and other advanced electronics. Though the Ryusei-class is one of the most expensive vessels in the Imperial Navy, behind only the Shogun and the Musashi, and while it is reliant on other naval vessels to provide protection from other ships and submarines, there is no doubt the Ryusei will be very good at what it does. =Bombardment Ships= Shogun-class Battleship Main Article: Shogun Battleship =Other Ships= Musashi-class Aerial Battleship Main Article: Aerial Battleship Musashi Model 3121 Wakizashi Sea Transport Main Article: Wakizashi Sea Transport Takamori-class Aircraft Carrier While the Imperial Floating Fortress project got the green light, many in the Japanese Navy expressed concerns that such a thing wouldn’t even work. Basically, nothing like it had ever been built before. The only things comparable in size were the Syndicate's floating Sprawls, and those didn’t have to move from place to place. The concerns were great enough that the Imperial Shogunate green-lighted the Takamori project as a backup to the floating fortress project. The Takamori class consisted of two giant hulls with a large deck on top and the control tower dead center. The design had multiple advantages. The gap between the two hulls was wide and tall enough to conceal a single Naginata Cruiser, allowing the Takamori to carry out limited ship resupply functions in a pinch as well as allow shallow water operations with greater manoeuvrability, something a floating fortress would have great trouble achieving. Also, the ship was just as unique in its operations as well for the ship only needed a small fraction of crew members thanks to its special drones. The drones were basically a sphere with a giant camera eye and a pair of arms and legs attached, controlled by a single AI core and several technicians. Their tasks were not only limited to refueling and repairing the aircraft but also repairs to the ship itself. By eliminating the need for a deck crew and only a small maintenance team needed for larger repairs that the drones could not handle alone, this freed up space for vast stores of supplies allowing the ship to stay at sea three to four times longer than its counterparts. Even though the floating fortress project turned out to be a success, it was decided that a number of these of these ships would be built mostly because there would be areas which the fortress could not go, such as bays and narrow bodies of water such as straits. However, only some of these were built in time for the war while due to a variety of reasons; the remainder were only completed in time to see the Empire's capitulation. Famous Ships IJN Takamori - First ship of the class. Saw combat in the First Battle of Vladivostok, the Invasion of the Philippines and the Battle for the North Pacific. Currently stationed at Pearl Harbor. IJN Saitama - Fought during the Invasion of the Philippines and the Battle of the Bering Strait. Currently in dry dock after its systems were crippled when the Soviet Tesla missile detonated a mere 200 yards away from it, leaving it defenceless to subsequent attacks. Expected redeployment date September 31, 1969. IJN Kanagawa - Fought during the Invasion of the Philippines and the Battle of the Bering Strait. One of the few ships to come out of that battle intact. It is currently waiting reassignment. IJN Chiba - Construction delayed due to malfunction in nanomachines that were programmed while the technician was drunk. Finished just hours before the end of the war. Currently assigned to the Imperial North Fleet. IJN Ibaraki - Was to be deployed during the middle of the war, but a surprise attack by Soviet Akula class submarines badly damaged the dock where it was being constructed. Recently finished, it has been assigned to the Imperial Exploratory Fleet. Behind the Scenes If you haven't noticed already, the image is of the "New Chinese aircraft carrier" that made the rounds on the internet recently. Massive Mobile Logistical Base Main Article: Floating Fortress Category:Lore